


Little Miss Perfect, That's Me

by leafiest_groves



Series: ☆ 𝓟𝓙𝓞/𝓗𝓞𝓞 𝓛𝓮𝓼𝓫𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓼 ☆ [7]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Mortal, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Annabeth Chase is a Good Friend (Percy Jackson), Asexual Character, Bisexual Jason Grace, F/F, FOR ASHHH, Female Jason Grace, Female Percy Jackson, First Kiss, First Love, First Party?, Fluff, Juno and Jupiter not being horrible parents, Light Angst, Little Miss Perfect is such a good song tho, Songfic, Teenagers, and now we strap in for the feels, canon or otherwise, listen we're all a little gay for percy, not mentioned in fic but like, ofc they are, they're in a boarding school so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 14:14:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29652537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leafiest_groves/pseuds/leafiest_groves
Summary: Jacqueline was adopted by her parents when she was two. She's their perfect spoiled daughter, all except for one little problem.As the head of the student council, Jacqueline must meet with the captains of all the sports teams in school.Imagine Little Miss Perfect's dawning horror when she realizes their school's swim team captain is annoyingly pretty and everything about her is making her fall in love.
Relationships: Jason Grace/Percy Jackson
Series: ☆ 𝓟𝓙𝓞/𝓗𝓞𝓞 𝓛𝓮𝓼𝓫𝓲𝓪𝓷𝓼 ☆ [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1903603
Comments: 6
Kudos: 26





	Little Miss Perfect, That's Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ScytheMarieAntoinette](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScytheMarieAntoinette/gifts).



_/Straight hair, straight A's, straight forward_  
_Straight path, I don't cut corners_  
_I make a point to be on time_  
_Head of the student council/_

Jacqueline is at school 10 minutes before everyone else. 

The student council president must always be on time, and being ahead of time is even better.

Her classmates stream in like a tsunami that gets through the school gates, and Jacqueline smiles at everyone she recognizes in the crowd. There's a few waves and a few smiles in return. There's a pack of people in the hallway, as usual. Jacqueline ignores the crowd and ties her hair into a neat bun with all the experience of a ballet dancer who's done it herself for years. 

Her blazer is neat, her collar is starched, her tie is directly in the center of her throat. 

Her skirt isn't rolled up in the slightest, her stockings have been pressed and are free of of even a few wrinkles. 

Her shoes are clean and polished to a shine so bright she could see her reflection in them if she wanted. 

She turns into the mirror in her locker door once again, slowly and cleanly swiping her lipstick across her mouth. There's foundation and concealer packed on thick enough to hide the scar she'd come to her adoptive family with. She hates it. 

It's a mark from a life long gone, a piece of her past that she doesn't want to acknowledge.

_/I don't black out at parties  
I jam to Paul McCartney  
If you ask me how I'm doing  
I'll say...  
Well, hmm/_

Just as she fiddles with the clasp of her bracelet, Andrew Chase from the year above her throws an arm around her shoulders.

"Ignoring me again, goosey?" 

She brushes it off. He's a friend of her older brother's, Theo trusted him to look out for her. Not that he knew what Andrew did on the weekends.

"I'm not ignoring you, I'm just busy."

Andrew's sister Mallory shoves Jacqueline's glasses up the bridge of her nose playfully. 

"Yeah, little miss perfect can't possibly spare enough time to grace one of _our_ parties with her presence."

Mallory's bitten off nails reach out to tap the corner of the Beatles magnet that holds up Jacqueline's planner in her locker. She seems amused.

"What are you, my dad?"

Andrew glares protectively, patting Jacqueline's head. 

"Just because she has boring taste doesn't mean you've got a reason to pick on her, Mal." 

Mallory giggles, and Jacqueline feels strangely embarrassed. 

"Let's go, we're gonna be late to choir and someone's gonna start shit," she hums, dragging her brother away by the arm while waving at Jacqueline over Andrew's shoulder.

_/I was adopted when I was two  
My parents spoiled me rotten  
Often I ask myself, "What did I do?"  
To get as far as I've gotten/_

Jacqueline pops open her locket, looking at the family photo inside it. It's a picture from 3 years ago, and her brother's hair looks terrible, but it's a fond memory all the same. 

She'd gotten a picture after winning her very first dressage tournament, and her whole family had been there for her that day. Her father's got his arms around her shoulders, her mother's smiling sweetly with one of Jacqueline's hands in her own.

The highlight of the picture is her brother, who'd ended up in the picture without realizing that Tempest had sneezed into his hair.

She thinks of them then, she hasn't seen her parents since she decided to spend the summer at school. Winter vacation isn't until December, and it's hard to imagine 2 whole months have gone by since she saw them. Her matron's grating voice is the terror of all the girls in their dorm building. She much prefers her mother's warm singing, that starts at six in the morning and never seems to end.

She hadn't even met her parents at half term vacation, she'd been visiting her brother then.

The thought makes her wilt slightly. Her parents did so much for her, had supported all her dreams, from riding to ballet to wanting to study law like her dad. Despite all that, she hadn't even made time to visit them. She vows to go skiing with the whole family when they go up to their lodge this December.

She doesn't deserve them, she thinks. She snaps the locket closed, and pushes it back into her shirt.

_/A pretty girl walks by my locker  
My heart gives a flutter  
But I don't dare utter a word  
'Cause that would be absurd behavior  
For little miss perfect/_

A 6th year walks past her in a rush, knocking over Jacqueline's pencil case from it's place in her hand.

"Sorry, I didn't hurt you did I?"  
  
  


Jacqueline looks up, right into the eyes of their school's swim team captain, a Miss Penelope Jackson. Her cheeks burn.

"N-No, I'm okay, thanks." 

Her heart is thudding so fast she's sure her locket is humming from the speed of her heartbeat. 

"Here, I'll help you clean up, all of your pens went flying." 

Penelope's hands are dry, her nails bleached from the chlorine. They're a sharp contrast to Jacqueline's pretty manicure, and she's barely able to keep in her gasp when their hands touch. Her pens are in a dozen different colors, and they all clash horribly with Jacqueline's pretty pink nails and pretty pink lips.

Penelope turns to see her flustered head girl putting her pens back into their case, and reaches out to tuck in a strand of hair that had escaped Jacqueline's bun in the middle of her rush. Jacqueline has to suppress the urge to squeal at that, and simply brushes off the lint and dust from her skirt. She accepts Penelope's hand when she reaches to help her stand up. She marvels at the strength in Penelope's arms, probably built up from years fighting currents and winning races.

"See you at the stables, head girl!" Penelope calls, walking off to classroom 6-B with a wave.

Jacqueline waves back shyly.

She's doomed, isn't she?

_/No, I can't risk falling off my throne/_

Jacqueline's book bag is heavy across her chest this Friday, only adding to the heartsick pain that weighs it down.

Andrew's voice over the speakers reminds everyone in classroom 4-A to stay away from the wasp's nest in their window until the school called in a pest control team. She's sure the infirmary will be full soon with idiots who didn't heed the warning.

She sighs when she finally makes it to the councilroom. Her art teacher's taken a sick day, and her first period's free. She looks at the alumni whose names and pictures are all over the front wall. It makes her queasy to think she'll be on that wall someday.

When she opens her sketchbook and her hands automatically start sketching out a perfect seaglass-green eye, she feels a little better before she feels worse.

_/Love is something I don't even know  
Straight hair, straight A's, straight forward, straight girl  
Little miss perfect  
That's me_/

Her parents already swore they wouldn't mind. Her brother had told them he was aroace years ago. She still hadn't told them.

Everything about their reputation would come crashing down if Jacqueline's secret got out, she's sure of it. She won't do that to her parents. 

Her scoresheet lies in her binder, and she's looking over it when Andrew tramples his way down the stairs. The student council's had their little family of cats for generations now, and Bob is currently clutching Andrew's uniform shirt for dear life. She laughs and goes over to dislodge him before his sharp claws rip holes into Andrew's clothes, leaning on his arm while he compares their grades.

"Hey, it's not like anyone's looking at your math scores for admissions. They're looking at mine." 

She smiles, looking at the scoresheet full of A*s, and chuckling at the one abysmal B- in the math column.

"At least I didn't fail English, huh Andrew?"

  
  
"For the last time, nobody cares."  
  
  


"Your required reading was on _The_ _Odyssey,_ but you couldn't spell cyclops."  
  
  


"Yes I can! It's S-Y-C something something."

"I'll allow it. By the way, I'm coming to your party."

"You didn't judge me for once and actually agreed to go out? Who are you and what have you done with our head girl?"

"Shut up before I kick you out of the journalism club."

_/One night, my friend stayed over  
We laugh, and drink and order  
Something about her drew me in  
What? It's totally platonic/_

This is her first time sneaking out, and she's terrified.

They're not supposed to leave, well, _she's_ not supposed to leave. She's sure it's a horrible idea, but her brother's sent her a keg all the way from college when he heard the news, so maybe Jacqueline's the only one here with cold feet.

Jacqueline's never dressed for one of these parties before, and she tries to make do. Her roommate Faiza lets her borrow a crop top in violet, and Mallory got her to rip up one of her pairs of jeans, so she thinks it's appropriate. Her locket stays in her purse even though she isn't wearing it. It was a present for her 13th birthday, she's never been apart from it for long.

Andrew had thrown one of his cousin Maggie's chokers in her face once she got in the car with them, and Maggie mutters something about blue not being her color before she starts the engine. Jacqueline clasps it around her neck and tosses back her ponytail. She hasn't bothered to cover up her scar today, hopelessly thinking it would lend her some anonymity. 

Little Miss Perfect doesn't go to parties after all.

They come to a halt outside a lovely hotel, the sort you'd expect parents and children to stop and rest at, only to find it packed with rowdy 5th and 6th years.

Jacqueline shrieks when the crowd picks her up, and turns to Andrew for help. He only laughs, shaking his head, struggling to be heard over the pounding bassline. 

"You're the party princess tonight, you even brought a keg! Tonight's about you, enjoy it goosey!"

Jacqueline gets yanked onto the raised stage, where Dakota throws an arm over her shoulders and yells out into her megaphone. 

"Look who decided to turn up tonight!" 

_/That night was so exciting_  
_Her smirks were so enticing_  
_Hours speed by like seconds_  
_Then, what happens is iconic/_

There's screaming and Fendi purses and tracksuits in a dozen colors in this room, and it's making her dizzy. She barely manages to shrug everybody off, fidgeting and fumbling with her keycard until she makes it to the elevator and gets to her room. Right by the vending machine is Jackson, who's still got her team jacket thrown over her shoulders. 

"Hey there head girl, didn't think I'd see you here. Wanna ditch and catch a movie instead?"

Jacqueline is nodding before she quite knows what's happening. 

There's an extremely disgruntled staff member handing them their remotes and and giving Penelope a spare keycard to Jacqueline's room, muttering something about _damned rich kids._

Penelope pulls Jacqueline in by the waist, and they're flipping through channels and ordering room service, giggling and ordering room service every 20 minutes, getting all the hors d'oeuvres on the menu and getting sparkling water that they never end up drinking.

_/She takes a sip, I bite my lip_  
_She tells a joke, I nearly choke_  
_She braids my hair, I sit there_  
_Blacking out for the first time/_

"Pennnyyyyy-" she huffs, feeling Penelope undo her ponytail.

"I don't wanna put it upppp...leave it downnn..." she says, mumbling into Jacqueline's shoulder. 

"Wanna braid it?" Jacqueline says, sighing contentedly as the buzz settles in, leaving her pleasantly tipsy and giggly.

"Aw, am I really having a sleepover with Little Miss Perfect?" Penelope laughs, running her fingers through Jacqueline's hair. Jacqueline nearly gasps out loud at the sensation, barely managing to muffle herself in the pillow.

_/Next thing I know, I lose control  
I finally kiss her, but oh no  
I see a face in my window  
Then my brain starts to go/_

They're running down the hallways, tripping in their heels every now and again, feeling them clang on the empty cans and bottles that litter the hotel carpets.

They're out on the balcony together, swaying in the low light of the sconces along the walls, and Jacqueline feels unbearably happy, she can't believe that it's really happening, and it's so warm and lovely, just like Penny's arm around her waist and the hand on her chin, the glow of her buzz just as gentle and sweet as the kisses Penny pulls her into while the fireworks go off in her brain.

And then it's ruined.

"Is that you, Grace?"  
  
  


_/No, you can't risk falling off your throne/_

_/Love is something you don't even know/_

_/You can't risk falling off your throne/_

_/Love, you don't even know/_

Jacqueline feels her buzz die instantly.

Octavia Simmons is standing on the balcony too, about 9 feet from where she was liplocked with Penny a moment ago. Her yellow tube top looks horrendous in the harsh light coming in from the door she's stepped through, but the balcony's mix of orangey sconce light and nighttime darkness can make even Octavia soften at the edges. 

It's dark and she's clinging to Penny for dear life, and she prays, begs, pleads with fate itself that they don't-

_/Rewind, induce amnesia  
Deny the truth, that's easier  
You're just confused, believe her  
When she says there's nothing there/_

Someone comes up to smack Octavia upside to head. "It's Chase's cousin, you daft cow. You're drunk Octavia, and I am too, so hurry the fuck up and call a cab before I piss myself."

Octavia has a hilarious expression of drunken understanding on her face. Her squinty, beady little eyes are convinced. 

"Ugh, Little Miss Perfect. She probably left at 10 o'clock sharp because she'd miss her _bedtime_ otherwise." 

Octavia struts off with her friend (Jacqueline doesn't even want to imagine who'd want to be friends with _Simmons_ ) and the door slams shut. 

Penny's trying to pull her closer, but drunk Jacqueline is far, far more openly insecure than sober Jacqueline. She presses her ear to the door, uncaring of the risk should someone storm back in. She hears voices on the other side of the door.

"Honestly Octavia, nobody would ever make out with Jacqueline even if they had the chance. Bet you anything she's one of those shy types that barely does anything and chickens out before you even do anything, god. Good on anyone who ever gets to 3rd base with her, the fact that they even got that far would really say something." 

Penny's wiping at Jacqueline's tears right after the voices fade away and their footsteps are the loudest thing they leave behind. 

Jacqueline's slumped against the balcony door that she's locked in her embarrassment, and her watch reminds her it's barely 11 o 'clock, and she'd promised Andrew that she'd stay until 2 in the morning. 

Someone's knocking on the other side, and Penny tucks Jacqueline into her chest before telling whoever's on the other side to fuck off, because someone's drunk and crying out here. Apparently they know how to follow instructions, since they mumble an apology and leave. Penny pats her back while she sobs, and gets up to find her purse and grab some tissues. 

Jacqueline's phone beeps, and she's finally sobered up enough to realise she'd texted her brother 'gUESS What??? I kiSsed a girl <33' earlier. The usual proper punctuation she uses when texting family is _gone_. Her cheeks burn even more, but her tears stop when she reads ahead.

'Dad says congrats on scoring, mom wants to meet her this winter, bring her to the lodge. Have fun, and don't mix your drinks.'

Penny's back with a pack of tissues, and she looks upset, even as she cleans off the dripping mascara from Jacqueline's cheeks.

"I guess I'm not worth it, huh? Don't worry Little Miss Perfect, I'll hand you off to the Chases and they'll get you home once they're done puking into their classmates' shoes."

Jacqueline huffs in annoyance, taking the proffered wet wipe to clean off her makeup. She tosses it aside right after. 

"Look at me, Penny." she murmurs, and Penny's stunned into silence when Jacqueline clambers into her arms and straddles her lap. 

" _Look_ at me." 

Penelope's never seen sweet little head girl Jacqueline's eyes burn like this before outside of competitions. It's _electrifying._ She can feel the blue flames in Jacqueline's eyes burning low in her stomach when Little Miss Perfect yanks her in for another kiss. She's grateful for the wall behind her, because her shoulders are shaking and her head is spinning with Jacqueline Grace's kisses. 

Jacqueline's panting against her mouth when she pulls back, forehead pressed against Penny's own. There's literal fireworks going off in the sky, and from somewhere far away she thinks she can hear the hollering and cheering of her classmates, but Jacqueline's heartbeat in her palms and hands and lips is so deafening that she can barely think of anything else.

"Not boring at all, am I?" 

Penny doesn't even know how to begin to respond, and settles for making an expression like a startled goldfish. 

Jacqueline seems to lose some of her fire at Penny's silence, and she hates it so much that she almost wants to fall at Jacqueline's feet, if only to bring back that confidence and the heat in her eyes.

"Am...Am _I_ worth it?" she whispers, suddenly seeming sweet little head girl Jacqueline all over again.

Penny tugs at Jacqueline's borrowed choker to make her look her in the eyes, and bites back a self satisfied smile at Jacqueline's quiet gasp when she turns her around to back her up into the wall. Her arm goes over Jacqueline's head, caging her into Penny's body heat, and Jacqueline can feel that fire in her own skin now, and it's coloring her cheeks and making her knees weak while she feels shivery all over.

Penny's tilting up her chin again, her eyes are lowering and her chest is tight with anticipation.

"Happy birthday, princess." Penny murmurs, and Jacqueline can't process anything but the mouth on hers and the heat building in her cheeks. It's more forceful than before, more confident, and it's making her buzz disappear even as she feels dizzier than ever. 

Someone's yelling for the birthday girl, someone else says they saw her in tears earlier. Nobody's quite sure what's happening, but it's midnight and the first of July, and rockets stream Jacqueline's initials across the glittering night sky even though only Mallory remembers to set them off.

Jacqueline's sinking to the floor again, taking Penny down with her, succumbing to her weak knees. She's in Penny's lap again, warm and safe and shining with joy even in the low light.

"Well we know you're not boring...what ever happened to 3rd base?" Penny teases, and Jacqueline's got heat in her eyes again when she delicately rises off of Penny's lap to slip her heels back on. She crooks a finger at her before stepping out the door, and Penny's breath hitches at the warm glow of pink on her cheeks and the braid came undone from her fingers itching to run through Jacqueline's hair. She's a _vision_.

"You're coming to our family's lodge this winter, aren't you? Come keep me warm then, I'm cooking alive out here." she calls airily, strutting off down the hallway even as Penny chases after her once she shakes off her shock.

Jacqueline squeaks when Penny wraps her in a backhug once they get into the elevator, pressing the buttons to close it and get them up to the roof.

"You really are perfect, princess."  
  
  


Jacqueline smiles.

"Can't help it."


End file.
